Mysterious Worlds
by mej
Summary: When Chichiri and Tasuki visit the young Emperor Boushin, they find a strange book... which, when opened, sends them to a futuristic world. Lost and separated, they will have to deal with aliens, legends, and space battles, before they can go home.
1. Notes, Trailer, Prologue, and Chapter 1

* * *

Fushigi Yuugi: Mysterious Worlds

* * *

About this story: 

I first got the idea for FY:MW back in 1998. Unlike most of my fanfic ideas, I actually started writing this one. I'm still not really sure why, as I don't consider it to be one of my better ideas. Maybe because I knew it would stand out from the other Fushigi Yuugi fanfics out there... 

I wrote the first few chapters in my initial wave of enthusiasm, and actually posted them to a mailing list. Partly because I wanted some feedback, partly because I wanted to contribute something to the mailing list, and partly because I wanted some pressure from other people to actually get me to finish the story. (I have always had trouble finishing projects that I start.) 

Well, I eventually made it to chapter eleven. Then I ran into a raft of personal problems, which ended up with me being mostly barred from computers for a year or so. Since all my FY:MW notes were on computer, I really couldn't work on the story during this time. 

After I got my computer access back, though, I found I had lost my enthusiasm for the story. It was a lot of work! And if I was going to spend so much time and effort on something, I now wanted it to be something original, something entirely mine. (I.E. something that wasn't violating copyright!) 

For all those reasons, I have stopped writing FY:MW. (Even though I said I would keep going to the very end... sorry, everyone!) However, I know there are people out there who want to know how the story ends. So, I will post all eleven of the completed chapters here on and then I will post a summary of the ending. Hopefully that will bring a sense of closure to the project. 

Okay, some more general author's note type stuff: this story begins about five years after the end of the Fushigi Yuugi manga and the second OAV. So there will obviously be general spoilers here and there for the entire series. Consider yourself warned. 

As for continuity, since I haven't had a chance to read the continuation novels, or the new manga that's just come out about Genbu no Miko, I doubt that the Mysterious Worlds story fits with them. But it should more or less fit with the main FY story. 

If you don't like original characters, be warned. There are tons of them in this story. I have tried very hard to keep them from becoming annoying Mary Sue types; you can decide whether I succeeded or not. 

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I didn't create Fushigi Yuugi or any of its characters. FY was created by Watase Yuu, and is © by her, Shogakukan, Flower Comics, Movic, Bandai, Studio Pierrot, and TV Tokyo.

* * *

Trailer: 

I'm going to start off by describing the "trailer" for this fic; images that I see synchronized with the long version of the Fushigi Yuugi opening song. Movies that play in my head... Does anyone other than me do that? 

As the opening music starts, we see a young man in medieval clothing. He is walking along a grandly built stone hall towards some unidentifiable but large object. As he walks, he passes many people in armour; they are knights, and each of them smiles at him. He also passes a beautiful lady wearing a crown, and bows his head slightly to her as she smiles brilliantly. Finally he passes an old man in dark robes, who nods his white-haired head with a sense of finality. The young man then walks up to the object, which we can now see is a block of stone roughly shaped into a cube. It has many runes carved into it, but the most spectacular thing about it is an enormous, ornate sword that has been set into the stone up to its hilt. He grabs the hilt and pulls the sword from the stone in a massive flourish of crackling energy. 

The scene changes; against a backdrop of the standard countryside of the Universe of the Four Gods, we now see Genbu no Miko in action, as well as her seishi, with Genbu in the background. Then we see similar montages of Byakko's Miko and her seishi, then Yui and her seishi, and finally, just as the wailing trumpet theme starts, we see Miaka and her seishi. As the trumpets continue, all Mikos and seishis are seen, but more and more focus is put on just two of Miaka's seishi: Chichiri and Tasuki. Interspersed with this are scenes from medieval battles with demonic creatures, which involve the knights and characters from the opening sequence. Then, Chichiri and Tasuki are swept away by waves of energy. 

Chichiri, dressed in modern-looking clothes, is seen kneeling in front of an important-looking man on a dais; as the camera pans away from the scene, we can see that the room they're in shows high technology. This is made evident when we can see the enormous windows surrounding this throne room; the windows show a futuristic city complete with spires and flying vehicles. The scene changes to the interior of a spaceship in full red-alert mode; Tasuki is there, using his fan to fight a large number of huge, glistening insectoid aliens that can't withstand his magical flames. Then, both Chichiri and Tasuki are seen standing in front of an enormous computer screen, gazing in wonder at the words scrolling across it. 

We then see Tasuki embracing a beautiful dark-brown-haired woman; they are torn out of each others' arms by wild energy, separated forever by powers beyond their control. Finally, against a backdrop of a ruined city, we see Chichiri standing, head bowed, maskless, and with both eyes closed. He slowly raises his head until he's facing forward, then opens both of his eyes. His right eye is full of anger and sadness; his left eye seems to be made of electric blue energy that radiates everywhere around him. 

Still against the backdrop of the ruined city, a small boy in ornate robes holding a book begins to run, but with each footstep, the world around him changes from modern-day Tokyo to a city of Konan Country to a futuristic city; all three are ruined and scarred by alien spaceships that seem to be an extension of outer space itself. The aliens themselves can be dimly seen; they are humanoid, though wolflike, and delight in destruction. Wild flames arise everywhere and attack the aliens; the flames come from a very serious-looking Tasuki. He is not holding his fan. Waves and streams of blue energy join the flames; Chichiri has entered the fray. He is not holding his staff. The massive powers seem to come from inside the two men, not from any external objects. 

They then stand back to back in the middle of the screen, surrounded by spirals of their own energies, one spiral a fiery orange-red, the other an icy blue, holding off the alien onslaught. They are joined, at the four corners of the screen, by the four Mikos and their divine beasts. As the music draws to a close, a final character appears at the very centre of the screen; it is the young man from the opening sequence, holding aloft his great sword. All of the characters hold their poses as the music ends, but on the very final chord, the swordsman in the centre drives his sword into the ground. 

So, has that got you interested? 

Well, here's the story then.

* * *

Prologue: 

She paused in front of the massive carved stone, and sighed. She resembled an ordinary old woman, with wrinkled face and stern demeanor, but her eyes, bottomless wellsprings of ageless wisdom, revealed the fact that she was far more than what she seemed. Well, that, and the fact that she was floating in midair. 

Voices wafted through the air, incredibly cute voices that seemed to follow the old woman everywhere she went. "Fix, fix, cure, cure!" one seemed to say. Another chirped, "Fix Taiitsu-kun's face!" The woman turned in the direction of the voices and sighed. Her eyes, though, were drawn back to the stone in front of her almost immediately. 

It was a stone, nothing more, nothing less. No mysterious forces inhabited it, and no souls were trapped in it. It had no strange powers, it had no magic aura, and no curses had been laid on it; all in all, it was just an ordinary stone, roughly hewn into a cubic shape. The only thing that differentiated it from thousands of other stones used for buildings or for city walls around the country was a single sentence that had been carved into one of its sides. The old woman sighed again as she read that sentence for what seemed to be the millionth time. 

"When the three worlds become one," the sentence proclaimed, "the legends will live again." 

She turned abruptly, and floated off down the hall. But ridding herself of the sight of the stone couldn't stop her from thinking about the words written on it. Finally, in desperation, she mentally asked a question of the unknown person whose hands had carved those words. _How long? How long will it be before this prophecy comes true? How long do we have to prepare?_

No answer came. She hadn't been expecting one; she never did. But she still couldn't keep herself from asking, as she had done every day for ages on end. She mulled over the sentence and her questions as she floated back to her chambers, blasting an overly enthusiastic Nyan-Nyan into the upper atmosphere as she went, and prepared for that day's period of meditation. As she began, the unknown authors' words floated back into her mind. 

_When the three worlds become one, the legends will live again._

* * *

Chapter One: 

It was a beautiful, peaceful day. The sky was blue, and decorated with light, fluffy clouds; the trees beside the road had brilliant green leaves, vibrant with verdant life. There was only one traveler on the road that led towards Konan Country's capital city, and he rode in silence, not wanting to disturb the feeling of peacefulness that surrounded everything. 

As the lone traveler got closer to the capital city, the peace and silence was replaced by a cheerful sort of noise, the kind of noise made by thousands of people happily going about their daily business. The sound only increased as he rode up to the city gates. 

The young guard on duty there gave the traveler a long, searching look. It was true, the red-haired traveler had a disreputable air about him, as if he was some kind of thief or bandit. The guard raised his pike with a frown to keep this scruffy-looking stranger out of the capital city. He was thwarted in his plans, however, by a slightly more experienced guard who rushed up and almost knocked the pike out of his hands. 

"Don't you know who this is, idiot?" hissed the more knowledgeable city guard. "One of the greatest heroes of our time. Let him pass!" 

The younger guards' eyes widened as he realized the importance of his older colleagues' words. He mumbled a hasty apology and quickly moved out of the traveler's way. The red-haired traveler nodded his thanks to the older guard before passing through into the capital city. 

_I guess it's my own fault. _ The traveler thought about the recent near-incident at the city gates as he rode straight towards Konan Country's royal palace. _I haven't been here for a while, so it's no wonder that people are starting to forget what I look like... _ In fact, he realized, he hadn't visited the palace since the year before. 

As he passed through the streets, the traveler noticed signs of a great celebration that had taken place recently. People were sweeping confetti and scattered flowers off the ground, and taking large banners down off their stores and houses. A group of little children raced around laughing, playing with multicoloured streamers that they had no doubt found discarded earlier that day. The red-haired traveler smiled wryly as he surveyed the great clean-up that progressed around him. "Well," he muttered, "looks like I missed a hell of a great party." 

A few minutes later, after having left his horse at the royal stables, and being told that His Royal Highness wanted to see him very much, the redhead found himself walking through one of the many beautiful gardens that surrounded the palace. Finding a bench, he put his travel bag on the ground and sat down. He did not, however, put down the large metal fan that he carried with him everywhere. Even though he knew that the security around the palace was flawless, it never hurt to be careful. 

He sat calmly, enjoying the silence. Whatever else you got as a member of the most famous group of bandits in the country, peace and quiet was not easy to come by. He looked around, quietly enjoying the sights of the garden. That is, until an enthusiastic, youthful voice shattered the silence. 

"Uncle Tasuki!" 

He turned just in time to see a young boy running joyfully towards him, unhampered by ornate robes, and even wearing a small bucket hat. _Well, silence is overrated, anyway, _ he thought with a grin as the young Emperor of Konan Country jumped into his arms. 

"You're back! It's been so long since I saw you. Guess what, Uncle Tasuki? I got a new horse this year! He's really big, and all brown; I wanted a black one but I guess they couldn't find one that colour that I could ride. I can ride real well now! I hardly ever fall off, and I get right back on, like you told me." 

Tasuki couldn't believe how Hotohori's son, Boushin, had turned out to be such a chatterbox. _I guess he's making up for all that time when he didn't talk at all, _ he thought. _He's certainly changed a lot since I was here last, a whole year ago. _ Out loud he said, "That's great! You keep that up, and you'll be a better rider than me one day." All this talk of horses and riding reminded the red-haired bandit of something. "Just let me get at my bag, okay? I've got something for you." The boy climbed out of his lap and sat next to him on the bench as he searched through his travel bag. 

"You missed my birthday party, Uncle Tasuki!" said Boushin, in a mock-wounded tone of voice, as he waited. "There were dancers, and streamers everywhere, and lots of food. I liked the desserts a lot. Chichiri was there; he gave me a book. I can read now; I'm really good at that too!" 

Tasuki finally got his hands on what he was looking for: a little statue of a galloping horse, carved out of wood. He presented it solemnly to the young Emperor. "Happy seventh birthday, Boushin-chan," he said warmly. 

"Oh! It's so nice! Like he's running in the wind," said the boy, entranced with the gift. Tasuki leaned back, pleased with the reaction. He looked up, and was happy to see a blue-haired monk walking along a garden path towards them. 

"Chichiri!" called out Tasuki. "Long time no see!" 

The ever-smiling monk was accosted by the Emperor as he approached. "Look what Uncle Tasuki gave me! A horse! It's running through the wind," Boushin explained. 

Chichiri grinned even wider. "It's wonderful no da!" Sitting down on the bench next to Tasuki, he whispered, "I hope you didn't steal it." 

The red-haired bandit frowned. 

"I carved it myself!" he whispered fiercely. It had taken him a week to get it just right, too. 

"In that case... Well done, na no da!" 

"Stole the woodcarving knife, though." 

"Oh." 

The little Emperor, oblivious to the conversation, was happily playing with his latest acquisition, making the tiny horse gallop around the bench, over the delicately trimmed plants in the garden, and even through Tasuki's hair, to the bandit's chagrin. Suddenly, the boy stopped, and said, "I have to go show this to Mama! She'll just love it." 

Tasuki wondered how Houki, the Empress-Regent, was doing. By all accounts, she was doing a fine job of running the country for her young son. He wondered how hard it would be to run an entire country; the only leadership job he'd ever done had been to run the Mt. Leikaku bandit group for a short while, and he knew how difficult that had been at times. 

"Let's go!" called Boushin, already halfway down the garden path. 

"But I just sat down no da!" complained Chichiri. Oblivious to the monk's complaints, the young Emperor kept going, a bundle of youthful energy and high spirits. 

"I can show Uncle Tasuki the library on the way there!" Boushin exclaimed. Chichiri dragged himself off the bench, and Tasuki gathered up his travel bag; both of the former Seishi of Suzaku happily followed Hotohori's son as he led them through the palace grounds towards the library. "I'm reading a lot now. My teachers all want me to read boring books, of history and stuff, but I like reading stories more. There's lots of stories in the library. They had to open old sections that were sealed away, just for me! I want to read everything in the library." 

Chichiri added, "You wouldn't believe how much of Konan's Great Library has been sealed away in storage over the years. There were crates worth of scrolls stacked high in storage rooms, no da! Well, all that's changed because of Boushin-chan here. He's become something of a voracious reader in the last year, no da." 

As Boushin showed off his carved horse to every single person they met on their way to the library, Tasuki reflected on Chichiri's last statement. Boushin had changed a lot in the past year, apparently, and Tasuki hadn't been here to see it. He hadn't visited the palace for a whole year; the last time he'd come had been for the young Emperor's sixth birthday. And he had even seriously considered not coming for the boy's seventh birthday. After all, what connection did he, an infamous bandit, truly have to the Emperor? He'd just known the boy's father for a few weeks, that was all. 

Passing palace guards and all sorts of finely dressed nobles of the royal court of Konan Country as he followed the little Emperor and Chichiri to the library, Tasuki began to feel horribly out of place. He looked around furtively at the richly decorated, and highly guarded, palace grounds as they walked by them. He felt that, at any moment, one of the guards would suddenly wake up out of a stupor and shout, "Hey you! You're not supposed to be here!" He had visions of being thrown unceremoniously out of the city, or even worse, being imprisoned. After all, what business did a scruffy bandit, a low-life thief, have in the Imperial Palace? 

True, he had come to regard it as a second home during that short time he had spent with Miaka and the other seishi, but that whole episode of his life now seemed so distant, even dreamlike. He still had the character on his arm, and all the wonderful memories, but they seemed to be more distant with every passing day. 

With a sigh, Tasuki resolved to leave the palace as soon as possible, after seeing Boushin's beloved library. He needed to get away from this delicate, fancy world with its beauty and opulence, and go back to the rough life of the Mt. Leikaku bandits, back to where he belonged, and never return here again. He'd regret leaving Boushin forever, but it would be for the best. 

They arrived at the library, and Boushin immediately took the seishi on a grand tour. 

"Here's where all the maps are. And these are the histories that my teachers always make me read, but they're so boring. Except for some of them that are like stories, but they really happened to people. I like reading those, but not as much as the other stories. There's lots of those over here! I'm going to read them all one day," said the young Emperor with a sense of finality. By the joyful sheen in Boushin's eyes, Tasuki could see that the little boy meant it, too. He himself had never much cared for reading, but he could tell that Hotohori's son truly did. 

"And the storage rooms are over here. There's so many scrolls in here, all packed away. Lots of them are just records and stuff lots more boring than the histories. But there are some stories. I found a book all about dragons in here, about a lady who could talk to them I mean. It was a really good book. And there are so many more!" 

Chichiri, who'd obviously been treated to a tour of the library before, wandered off by himself. Boushin led Tasuki around a dusty, cobweb-covered storage room, piled high with stacks of crates. A few crates had been opened, probably by Boushin himself, and the contents were spread out over all available surfaces. 

"I found these myself! They're mostly boring stuff, like this guy's diary. He was a really dull guy, even if he was an Emperor. But these here are books all about legends, and they're really good." 

Boushin's discussion of the books he'd found was cut short by a call from Chichiri, who was over on the other side of the room. "What's this, no da?" 

The little Emperor raced over to Chichiri immediately, eager to see what the monk had found. Tasuki followed him, a few paces behind. He wondered what could possibly startle Chichiri. 

They found the blue-haired monk standing by a huge pile of crates, stacked haphazardly. Some of the boxes full of scrolls had succumbed to gravity and had fallen down; old books and scrolls of many different types covered the floor. Chichiri had picked up one book and was scrutinizing its cover, frowning a little. When he got close enough, Tasuki could see why. Every other book here was bound with leather or something similar; they had that much in common, at least. But this book had a very thin cover, just a little thicker than a sheet of paper, really. It was also covered with a glossy finish. Its most startling feature, however, was the amazingly lifelike picture on its cover. It depicted an odd-looking creature that seemed to be a mix of insect and man. 

Tasuki said, "It almost looks like one of the books that Miaka brought from her world, doesn't it?" 

"I know. But how could it have gotten here, no da? This room has been sealed away for decades." 

Boushin was jumping up and down, trying to get a better look at the mysterious object in Chichiri's hands. "Let me see! Let me see!" Succumbing to the pressure, the monk let him have the book. 

"Wow! I've never seen a book like this before." 

Boushin spent a few seconds staring at the picture on the cover before opening the book and starting to read the words printed on the first page. 

"This," he read out loud, "is the story of two friends, who traveled to a faraway world, and who gained powers beyond their wildest dreams. This book itself is an incantation; whoever turns the page will cause the story to become reality." 

Tasuki and Chichiri stared wide-eyed at each other. But before they could say a word, before they could prevent it from happening, the young Emperor turned the page. 

When the everpresent palace guards raced into the old storage room in response to the shouts they had heard, all they found was a travel bag, a strange book lying half-open on the ground, and a small carved statue of a galloping horse. 


	2. Chapter Two

* * *

Fushigi Yuugi: Mysterious Worlds

* * *

Chapter 2: 

Chichiri groaned. The ground on which he was lying was hard and cold, and his head hurt. He opened his eye, and immediately wished he hadn't. Everything he could see was washed with a dim red light that pulsed in time with his headache, and with the loud sirens that wailed persistently in the background. 

Getting up slowly, using his staff for leverage, he looked around. He was relieved to note that Boushin was lying only a few steps away, and Tasuki a bit beyond that. They were both breathing, too; that was reassuring. 

Chichiri tried to make sense of his surroundings. He seemed to be in a small rectangular corridor, and it was hard to tell with only the dim red light to go by, but it seemed that the corridor's floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of metal. _That explains why the floor was so cold, _ he thought. _But why use so much metal just to build a hallway? _

Just then, Tasuki started stirring. "Shi-it," he groaned. "My head..." 

While the red-haired bandit slowly sat up, Chichiri noticed that Boushin was starting to move. He knelt down beside the little Emperor. "Boushin-chan," he said softly. "Are you all right?" 

The little boy sat up, and rubbed his eyes. Mutely, he stared wide-eyed at the strangeness of it all. 

Tasuki was also beginning to take note of his surroundings. "What is this place?" he said, with a hint of fear in his voice. "And where's my bag?" 

"I have no idea," replied Chichiri truthfully. 

"Do you think we're inside the book? Like what happened to Miaka when she came to our world?" 

"I think that's exactly what happened, no da." 

The monk helped his young Emperor stand up. Tasuki used the smooth metal wall of the corridor to steady himself as he stood. 

"Well, if we are in another world, there's no use just staying here waiting for something to happen to us, right?" 

Tasuki's words reminded Chichiri of the large insect-man whose picture had been on the cover of the strange book. _If this world is inhabited by creatures like that..., _ he thought, now feeling a little concerned. He said, in complete agreement with Tasuki, "We should move on." 

"Which way, then?" 

Chichiri looked down the corridor in both directions. Both ways were shrouded in shadows that the red lighting didn't pierce. He could detect no appreciable difference between them, and shrugged helplessly. Tasuki took the initiative and started walking along the shadowed corridor. Boushin gripped Chichiri's hand tightly as they followed the redhead into the darkness.

* * *

Empress-Regent Houki stared in horror at the two objects that the palace guard had placed in front of her. "And this is all you could find?" she managed to say. 

"Just this strange book, the bag, and the carved horse," the burly Captain of the Guard said gruffly. "That's all. My Empress, I told you that bandit would be a security hazard. And now he's somehow managed to kidnap your son right under our noses. We should have never let him into the palace..." 

"That's nonsense!" the Empress cried. "I know Tasuki! He would never do anything to harm Boushin. And besides, Chichiri was there! He wouldn't have allowed " 

"The monk could have been overpowered. Or he could have been in on it. You can never tell, with some people." 

Houki shook her head weakly. "I just cannot believe it," she said softly. 

"My Empress, you must believe it. It's the only possible explanation," said the Captain, with a sense of finality.

* * *

After walking for several minutes through the alternately shadowed and red-lighted corridor, with sirens constantly wailing in the background, they saw no signs that other people had ever passed this way. Chichiri was faintly relieved; true, they had seen no other people, but they had also seen none of the insect-like monsters, either. 

Tasuki, up ahead, was growing visibly irritated. "Does this blasted hallway go on forever?" he said loudly. "No turns or anything!" 

Chichiri wondered whose hands had created this long, straight corridor, and for what purpose. And why had they abandoned it? Maybe, he wondered, thinking about the insect-man on the cover of the book, they had fled an invasion, or maybe they had all been killed. Or maybe the corridor had been built by the insects, and the three refugees from the Universe of the Four Gods were walking towards their deaths... 

Up ahead, Tasuki didn't seem to be affected by the same fears as Chichiri. The blue-haired monk wondered if he should mention them to the bandit, talk about the possibilities so that they could prepare for them. Then, he remembered the strangely silent Boushin, who even now had a death grip on his hand. _If I talk about my fears, Boushin will be even more scared, _ he realized. _Tasuki can take care of himself_, he decided, _no matter what happens. _

Tasuki stopped walking and said, "Finally!" He had reached an intersection. Chichiri and Boushin joined him at its centre. Boushin took his hand out of the monk's. 

Suddenly, the little boy gasped. "My horse! It's gone!" 

Tasuki looked over at Chichiri worriedly. "Should we go back and get it?" 

Boushin said in a small and tired voice, "I want my horse back. I want to go home. I want my Mama." 

Both of the seishi of Suzaku looked back down the corridor from which they had come. _Should we risk it? _ thought Chichiri. He turned towards Boushin and said, "I don't know, I..." 

He gasped. The boy was gone! 

"Where did he go?" said Tasuki. "Which way?" 

Chichiri shook his head, in shock. "Why did he leave?" 

Tasuki said bitterly, "We have no choice. Let's go." He ran off down one of the other corridors. Chichiri chose another and started running.

* * *

"We've searched every inch of the palace. They must have gotten away somehow; maybe they had inside help," said the Captain of the Guard gruffly. 

The Empress Houki sighed. She picked up the strange book and started idly leafing through it. "I still find it hard to believe that Chichiri and Tasuki, two of the Seishi of Suzaku..." She stopped suddenly; she saw something on one of the book's pages, near the beginning of the novel, that caught her attention. "Boushin?" 

"I assure you, we're doing everything in our power to " 

"No," she said, reading the page on which her son's name had appeared. "Here. In the book." She read further, then exclaimed, "He's in the book!" 

"My Empress, perhaps your grief is clouding your judgment. It's impossible for people to go into books. It's probably just a coincidence; after all, Boushin isn't a very uncommon name." 

"Yes, but how many Boushins are accompanied by a red-haired bandit named Tasuki and a monk named Chichiri? They're all in the book!" she stated emphatically. 

"I don't believe that " started the Captain, still skeptical. 

"That must be exactly what happened! Don't you remember Suzaku no Miko's tales? Of how she and her friend Yui were in a library, opened an old book, and found themselves here? The same thing must have happened to my son!" 

She gripped the book tightly, and started calling into it. "Boushin! Come back! Come back to me!" 

The Captain shook his head. He turned, and motioned two guards over to him, intending to give them more instructions. But then, the Empress cried out her son's name joyfully. The Captain turned back, and was astonished to see the young Emperor sitting in his mother's lap. 

"Mama!" cried the little boy, hugging her fiercely. 

"Oh, Boushin-chan," she said happily, hugging him back. 

The Captain of the Guard could only stare in astonishment at the scene which presented itself before his eyes, mouth open wide. _People just don't disappear into books, _ he thought. _Valuable kidnapping victims just don't suddenly reappear where they're supposed to be. _ His entire pragmatic view of the world had just been fundamentally challenged. 

"I guess it wasn't a kidnapping, after all," one of the guards said dryly.

* * *

Tasuki pounded down the corridor. Just as he passed an intersection, he saw two men running away. He shouted, "Stop!" 

Surprisingly, they did. They turned and pointed metal tubes at him. One was tall and seemed, in the red light, to have fair hair. The other was smaller and darker-complexioned. They were both wearing black uniforms. 

"Stay there or we shoot," said the fair one with a strange, heavy accent. 

Tasuki stopped a few paces beyond the intersection. He yelled, "Give back Boushin," hoping they knew what he was talking about. 

"Give back what, Delani?" 

The shorter man said to his companion, with the same heavy accent, "Than, the kid is unarmed. And where in hell did he come from? We just scanned that entire sector!" 

Tasuki tried again. "Give back the Emperor!" 

The fair man laughed. "We don't have the Emperor! If we did, all our problems'd be solved, wouldn't they, Keane?" 

"But you know where he is!" shouted Tasuki, astonished. 

"Of course we do!" 

"Why don't you come with us?" said the shorter man. "After all, we're the ones with the guns here." 

"Yeah, right this way, Delani scum," said the fair man, grinning. 

Tasuki growled. "Give him back." 

"Don't make it hard on yourself, kid," added the smaller man. "You don't have a lot of choice." 

_Oh, I don't, do I? _ thought Tasuki with a smirk. He took his fan from where it was strapped to his back. _I'll just singe them around the edges. That'll hopefully get them to tell me where Boushin is. _ He raised the fan high and shouted, "Lekka..." 

He never got to finish. A blow to his neck knocked him unconscious. 

"Nice going, Korry," said the smaller man to the lady who had emerged from the intersection and who had hit Tasuki from behind. She gave him the thumbs-up sign. 

The fair-haired man picked Tasuki up and slung him over his shoulder. "Man, this mission is going well," he said. "We've even got ourselves a Delani prisoner." 

The lady picked up Tasuki's metal fan. "What is this," she asked, "some kind of new Delani weapon?" 

"Well, _he_ certainly thought it was," said the darker-skinned man. "Okay, let's go." All three continued running down the corridor.

* * *

A few minutes later, Chichiri was still running down his corridor. He had seen no sign that anyone had ever passed this way, but didn't dare turn back until he knew for sure that Boushin wasn't here. There were still branching corridors that he hadn't checked yet. He hoped beyond hope that Tasuki had found the little Emperor already. 

Suddenly, the ground lurched beneath his feet. He had to grab the wall to steady himself. _What is this? _ he wondered. _An earthquake? _ The floor stopped moving after a few seconds, and he continued on his way. 

The next quake happened a minute or so later. It was more severe; Chichiri had to kneel until it was over, and it lasted much longer than the first one. When it ended, he got up quickly and raced forward again. 

The corridor only continued for a few more paces until it opened onto a large room, with many corridors leading to it. The room was full with hundreds of people. The vast majority of them were coming from one of the centrally located corridors, and everyone was quickly being herded through circular doors into brightly lit areas. Several people in silver uniforms were doing this herding quickly and professionally. 

A lady in a silver uniform, who had frizzy brown hair, noticed Chichiri. She stared at him in surprise, then motioned frantically for him to come join everyone else. He froze. 

"Hey, c'mon, get over here! We don't have much time!" she shouted, with a strange accent, then turned to another person in a silver uniform, a black-haired man. "Metaxos! Who is this guy?" 

The man looked up and scrutinized Chichiri. "Could he be a Parathaian?" 

The lady laughed. "Dressed like that? And with no weapons, no backup? Oh, please!" 

Chichiri composed himself, and asked, "Have any of you seen a little boy, about so high?" He held up his hand at about Boushin's height. 

"Nope, sorry," said the lady. "Come on, this way!" 

"Wearing a little bucket hat, no da?" 

"We haven't seen any kids. Or hats." 

"Thank you for your time," said Chichiri dejectedly. He turned to leave. 

The lady shouted, "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" 

Another earthquake started. This one was much more violent than the previous two. Chichiri was thrown forward and lay on the ground, stunned, as it bucked and leaped beneath him. The black-haired man shouted, "Shit! They're getting really bad!" 

Finally, the quake ended. Chichiri got up to continue on his way, but the frizzy-haired lady caught up with him and grabbed him by the shoulder. "Don't you realize the ship is breaking up? We have to get out of here!" 

Chichiri struggled, trying to break her surprisingly strong grip. "Let go!" he yelled. "I have to find him!" The ground trembled again, and Chichiri managed to wrench away from her grip. 

"Jaxie, come back here!" shouted the man. "If he's determined to stay, let him. We're almost ready to launch!" 

"No!" she yelled back. "I won't leave him here to die!"

* * *

"Oh, Mama, I was so scared! Everything was red, and my head hurt so much from the noises..." 

Houki held her son close. "You're safe now, Boushin-chan. Everything's going to be all right." 

Over to the side of the room, the Captain of the Guard held his head between his hands. He could be heard quietly muttering, "I just don't believe it" over and over. 

Boushin settled down, and started looking around, glad that he was back in a familiar world, surrounded by familiar people. His eyes settled on the small carved figure of a horse that was lying on a nearby table. "My horse!" he exclaimed joyfully, jumping off his mother's lap. He ran to the table and picked up his horse. "Look, Mama! Tasuki gave it to..." His voice trailed off. "Mama, where are they? Where are Tasuki and Chichiri?" 

"I'm not sure," she replied, "but I think they're still in the book." 

"The book!" Boushin cried. He looked around wildly, and saw it lying on the floor, where his mother had dropped it in her joy at his safe return. He picked it up with shaking hands. He almost dropped it himself, however, when he looked at its cover. 

"The cover... changed," he whispered. Trembling, he showed it to his mother, the Empress-Regent. Sure enough, in addition to the picture of the large insect-man, the cover now showed two human figures, in fighting stances. One, dressed in black, had red hair and what seemed to be a large fan. The other had blue hair and a staff, and was dressed in silver. 

Empress Houki shook her head sadly. "They're part of the story now," she said. Her son mutely climbed back into her lap, and opened the book. He started reading the story with his mother looking over his shoulder. 

He skipped over the early parts of the book, as he knew what had happened then; after all, he'd been there. Boushin started reading in earnest when he got to the part about his own disappearance, however. He read about Tasuki and Chichiri running off in different directions, then looked up and said quietly, "They don't know. They don't know that I'm back here." He continued reading, gasping out loud when Tasuki was hit from behind and knocked out, and following Chichiri's search with a worried frown. 

Boushin frowned even more when Chichiri refused to follow the uniformed woman in order to keep searching for him. "I have to tell him somehow that I'm safe," the young Emperor decided. "But how?" Then, he read the next paragraph. His eyes widened. 

"The Delani spaceship's constant trembling," it read, "was a symptom of a very great danger. When the Parathaians attacked the ship, they damaged its internal gravity generators. Delani soldiers, recognizing the danger, evacuated everyone from the ship, because the unbalanced forces that were being produced by the generators would soon tear the ship apart, killing anyone who remained there." Boushin didn't understand many of the words, but he understood that if Chichiri stayed on the ship, he would die. 

"No!" he shouted, starting to cry. "It's my fault! If I hadn't turned the page, they'd both be here. They'd be safe!" 

His mother hugged him reassuringly. "You had no way of knowing," she said. But Boushin couldn't be reassured. 

"It's all my fault," he sobbed. "Tasuki's been kidnapped and Chichiri's going to die, all because of me!" Tears streaming down his face, he shouted into the book. "Chichiri! Listen to me. I'm here. I'm out of the book! Go with the lady. Go now!"

* * *

Chichiri froze. That voice... was it... was it Boushin's? 

"Come on!" shouted the frizzy-haired lady, who caught up with him again, and started pulling him back towards the brightly lit doors. "There's no time, get moving!" 

Again the voice was heard, coming mysteriously from nowhere. "It's me, Boushin! I'm back home. I'm safe. Please go with her!" 

The lady looked around, startled. "What was that?" But she wasted no time dragging the blue-haired monk towards safety. This time he didn't try to break her hold. Just as the ground started shuddering again, they reached the last open escape pod door. It slammed shut behind them, and the pod quickly sped away to safety. 


	3. Chapter Three

* * *

Fushigi Yuugi: Mysterious Worlds

* * *

Chapter 3: 

Korry Tria walked into the small Parathaian spaceship's common room with a frown. The short-haired blonde lady poured herself some coffee and took a sip; it was tepid. She frowned even more. 

Thanion Thomasjohn was there, too, lounging around reading some of the recent infodisks. He took a big gulp of his coffee and called out to his colleague, "Hey, look at this, Korry! My brother's gone up in the polls." 

"Great, just great," she said. "Than, you know that fan that our prisoner had? You know how I was wondering if it was some kind of weapon?" 

"Yeah?" 

"So I was doing some tests on it. Turns out it can be used as a weapon." 

The tall, fair-haired man looked at her strangely. "How, by throwing it?" he said jokingly. 

"No, actually, if I hadn't been there, you and Keane would've been fried." 

"What do you mean, fried?" 

Korry recounted her findings with utter seriousness. "The fan is somehow connected to the kid's brainwaves. Whenever he says a key phrase, it unlocks some kind of latent pyrokinetic power in him. Do you understand? That fan lets him control fire." 

"A human flamethrower? Yikes," said Thanion, looking concerned. He took another sip of his coffee. "You said the Delani kid's pyrokinetic power is latent?" 

"As far as I can tell, yes. He doesn't give off any of the signs of full operancy." 

"But how is that possible? No one can access or control that kind of latent ability. Our scientists are barely starting to understand how the metapowers work in the first place. Are the Delanis so far ahead of us?" Now, Thanion looked really worried. 

Korry shook her head. "All the investigations have shown that they're no farther advanced than we are. Not with the metapowers, anyway. Besides, if they really were that advanced, do you really think they'd waste the powers on some kid who doesn't even know standard procedures? I mean, he didn't even check the intersection when he passed it! He ran right past me!" 

"And the Delanis wouldn't just give away the fact that they had such control. They'd wait until they could take us by surprise," realized Thanion, "and do us some major damage, instead of sending one clueless kid to save a doomed spaceship. Unless he's some kind of trap, a human bomb or something, that we're meant to take back to our scientists so he can kill them all." 

"Already checked. He's clear; so's the fan. If they were going to blow up, they'd have done so already. The kid doesn't have any other metapowers, and the fan doesn't have any other tricks." 

Thanion frowned, and drank the rest of his coffee. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?" 

"You know I am." 

"Bloody hell." Thanion crushed his empty coffee cup with one hand and threw it clear across the room, where it landed directly in the trash disposal's receptacle. This was no mean feat; after all, the coffee cup had been ceramic. "It makes sense, though. I mean, he acted as if we had the Emperor stashed away somewhere, when everyone knows that no Parathaian task force has ever gotten closer than 500 klicks to Kemet City. But if he isn't from Raiver Delan, then who sent him? Our government has nothing like this in the works." He started to look angry. "Is there some third party that no one's told us about? Other than the aliens, I mean? How could there be another major player that no one's heard from yet?" 

Suddenly a dark-skinned man, Keane Parnell, appeared in the doorway. "Captain speaking," he said. "Dess patched me into your whole conversation. Scary stuff. Just who _is_ this kid we picked up?" 

A strange disembodied voice seemed to float down from above. "He can't be working alone. That fan would have needed some serious technology in order to be created, hey. Whoever's backing him is definitely major; it's just that we have no idea who they are. I've been sending everything we know directly to Padarath City, test results and everything; maybe they have some kind of clue about where he might have come from." 

"Good idea, Dess," said the Captain. "I think we're in over our heads here." Korry and Thanion nodded agreement. 

The next few minutes were very stressful as the Parathaians waited for word from Padarath City. Finally Dess spoke up. "I just got the reply. They agreed with our interpretation and they launched a full-scale investigation. People, they found _nothing_ in the databanks about anything like what we've got here. As far as they know, there are no other groups on this planet that have the resources to accomplish this. So there are only three possible explanations." 

Keane nodded. "Either the aliens are more advanced and a lot closer to infiltrating us than we thought, or he was sent, somehow, by the Moon." 

"Or the government of Parathay has no idea what's going on in the world around it, and we're basically screwed," finished Korry. 

Thanion scowled. "None of those options are particularly reassuring, guys." 

"There's another thing," said Dess. "Keane, this basically concerns you. Padarath City wants as much info as they can get, as fast as they can get it. They can't wait until we get this guy back to them for a full interrogation, so they want you to question him now. You're the next best thing to a team of interrogators, hey." 

Keane didn't look pleased. "Great," he said. "Just great." 

"I've started to wake him up already," announced Dess. "Give him a few minutes before coming down to his room, Keane; give yourself a few minutes." 

"Thanks," Keane replied, trying to be polite. He sat down on one of the common room chairs with a sour expression on his face, mentally preparing himself for the questioning he'd have to do. Korry felt sorry for him. She wondered how hard it had been for him, growing up with his particular talent. It must have been awful, having all kinds of scientists wanting to test him and experiment on him as his powers developed. Though she was a little envious of his abilities, she was happy enough with her own special talents, and she at least hadn't had to go through that kind of hell as she grew up. 

Keane rested his head in his hands. Finally, he couldn't put it off any longer, and got up. "Guess I'm ready now," he said reluctantly. He strode off down a corridor towards the room where their prisoner waited. Korry and Thanion watched their Captain depart the common room, and silently wished him well.

* * *

Tasuki remembered the last time he had woken up in unfamiliar circumstances; then, his head had hurt. This time, both his head and his neck hurt. He lay still with both his eyes shut for a long time, hoping that something at least would stop hurting. 

He couldn't stand waiting any longer, so he opened his eyes. He was forced to shut them immediately afterwards, as the brilliant white light that filled the room seemed to stab directly into his brain. But it wasn't long before he opened them again. 

Tasuki couldn't keep himself from staring once his eyes got used to the light. He was lying on a small bed, on top of soft sheets. The bed was in a small cubic room a very small room, that didn't extend much more than two paces beyond the bed. There were a few shelves, completely empty, carved into the opposite wall. And there were no doors. 

The red-haired bandit sat up a little too quickly and winced. He looked around the whole room; there were no exits. There was no way out. He stood, and tried to search the room, but all the walls were absolutely seamless, and were made of no material he had ever encountered before. It was white, and cool to the touch, a little like porcelain. _But who would ever build a room out of porcelain? _ Tasuki thought. Just in case it was made of fragile porcelain, he tried to punch a hole through one wall, but only succeeded in hurting his hand. 

Completely at a loss, he sat down on the bed again. "What kind of room has no doors?" he muttered hopelessly. "And is full of light, with no lamps or windows anywhere?" Even the air smelled strange and flat, as if it was stale. Surrounded by strangeness, with nothing familiar around him, Tasuki almost felt like crying. 

_Where are Chichiri and Boushin? _ he wondered suddenly. _Was Chichiri caught, too? Or did he get away in time? Is Boushin in a room just like this one, all alone and scared? Is he wondering why we never came for him? _

Tasuki vowed, with new determination in his heart, that he would do everything in his power to free the young Emperor from the people who had kidnapped him. He propelled himself to his feet, ready to begin searching anew for anything he could possibly have missed. 

And then, one of the walls disappeared, the one by the foot of the bed. Tasuki stopped moving utterly and stared, absolutely flabbergasted. Beyond where the wall had been, a man in a black uniform stood. He had fairly dark skin and closely cropped black hair. Tasuki thought he recognized him from before, from the metal corridor where he had gone in search of Boushin. 

"Who are you?" asked the uniformed man abruptly. In response, Tasuki charged forward in fury. He smacked headfirst into an invisible barrier and reeled backwards, stunned. 

_The wall's not gone, it's just see-through_, he realized a little too late, rubbing his bruised nose. 

Beyond the wall, the uniformed man rolled his eyes. "Who are you?" he repeated, sounding annoyed. "Who sent you here?" 

Tasuki replied with a question of his own. "Where's the Emperor?" he snarled. "You said you knew where he was!" 

The man just repeated forcefully, "Who are you?" He sounded even more annoyed. 

Tasuki furiously issued an ultimatum. "I won't tell you anything until you tell me where he is!" 

The dark-skinned man frowned. "The Emperor is in Kemet City, right where he's always been." 

"Where he's always... What the hell do you mean?" Tasuki asked, shocked. 

"The Emperor Covenant of Raiver Delan is in his capital city, Kemet, where he's been for the past forty years." 

"But... but... What about Emperor Boushin of Konan Country?" Tasuki asked numbly. "A little boy? With a bucket hat? You don't know where he is?" 

At this, the uniformed man flinched, and started speaking rapidly to an unseen person. Tasuki couldn't hear a word of what he was saying. The red-haired bandit didn't care, though. He sat back down on the bed, in complete and utter despair. 

Beyond the wall, which had suddenly become a soundproof barrier, Keane was speaking furiously. "Konan Country. Any mention of that in the records? Try the older records. Maybe it's the old name of some place in Raiver Delan. Lots of old settlements there, they must have changed names sometimes. And the reference to hats - that might have some relevance to " 

"Keane," Dess's disembodied voice interrupted, "I know how to do my job. Now you get back to him and continue yours." 

Keane shook his head as if to clear it. He said, "Sorry," with a sheepish expression on his face. "I just got a blast of total despair from him. Wasn't prepared for that. Strong emotions do strange things to me, that's all." He toggled the sound back on, and continued with the interrogation. 

"Now tell me. Who are you?" 

Tasuki sat dejectedly on the bed. _If they don't have Boushin after all... _ he thought. He had a mental picture of the little Emperor, running lost through shadowed corridors, alone and scared. _Maybe Chichiri found him, _ the redhead thought, with a glimmer of hope. _Maybe they're both safe, and wondering where I am. _ He certainly hoped so. _Unless Chichiri was caught, too... _

He looked up slowly, and asked the uniformed man, "Did you get Chichiri too? He's a monk, has blue hair..." 

Keane knew because of his Talent that the redhead wouldn't tell him a thing unless he answered. _This kid's force of will is incredible, _ he thought, impressed. He said simply and truthfully, "We found no one else." The kid seemed to brighten up at this news, and stopped projecting despair. Keane continued the questioning, as he sensed that now he might get some answers. 

"Who are you?" he asked again. This time, there was an answer. 

"I'm Tasuki." 

Keane frowned. He sensed that he wasn't being told the whole truth. "That's not your real name," he said. 

The redhead projected shock. He recovered and replied, "It's who I am." 

"Not good enough. Give me your real name." 

The kid stared at Keane incredulously. The uniformed Captain could sense that he was confused and angry, and was probably just starting to deal with the shock of his strange situation. Keane didn't think that knowing the kid's real name would help the Parathaians' cause at all, but if he backed down on this issue, he'd never get the kid to answer anything important at all. 

Suddenly the redhead burst out in anger, "Why the hell should I tell you anything?" He sprang up from his position on the bed, radiating fury in all directions, and went up to the invisible wall. "What'll you do to me if I don't talk?" he snapped. Keane just stood there silently. He wished that they could have drugged the kid to get him to cooperate, but drugs screw up peoples' emotional states, and Keane wouldn't have been able to get any accurate readings. 

The kid pressed his fists against the invisible wall, as if trying to push it over. With an angry expression on his face, he said, "Who are _you? _ What do you want from me?" 

Keane finally said with the force of authority, "Listen. If you don't tell me everything I want to know _now_, we'll be forced to bring you home for a full interrogation, where you _will_ tell the interrogators everything they ask, as well as absolutely everything else you know. The experience will not be pleasant. Do you want to cooperate with me now, or have the knowledge ripped out of you later?" He was reasonably certain that the threat implied by his statement would make the redheaded kid think twice about defying him. He could sense the kid's developing confusion, indecisiveness, and even fear. 

Keane thought, _Now let's give him a good reason to cooperate_, then said, "And besides, the sooner you answer my questions, the sooner we'll be able to help you." This only deepened the redhead's confusion. 

Keane continued speaking. "Look, you want to find your friend, Chichiri, is that his name? As well as your Emperor. The sooner you tell me everything I want to know, the sooner we can think about trying to find them. Does that sound reasonable to you?" 

In response to this, the redhead lowered his fists, and slowly sat back down on the bed. "My real name, it's Kou Shun'u," he said tiredly, "but people call me Tasuki." 

"There's more," said Keane. 

"Or Genrou," the redhead added reluctantly. 

Keane smiled. _Finally, the whole truth, _ he thought. _Now I can really get started. _ He asked, "Who sent you here?" 

Tasuki's truthful response took Keane by surprise. "No one. Well, maybe the book. Or you could say Boushin, I mean the Emperor, did it, but it wasn't his fault." 

"Explain yourself. What book? How?" 

The redhead sighed, and started telling his tale. "We Chichiri, the Emperor, and I were in Konan's Great Library, and we found a book..."

* * *

Thanion and Korry, having effectively nothing else to do, had stayed in the common room. Dess had kept the intercom open, and they had heard every word that had passed between their Captain and the red-haired prisoner. Dess had also relayed the long conversation, and Keane's final statements, to Padarath City. 

Keane walked into the common room. He looked absolutely worn out. He flopped into the first chair he came to. Thanion silently handed him a fresh coffee; Keane just held it as he stared off into space. 

Dess was the first to break the silence. "Three and a half hours until we enter Parathaian airspace, hey. Soon we can just hand him over to someone else, and then he'll be their problem." 

Korry shook her head slowly. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable," she muttered. "That whole story, about the Mikos and the Seishi..." 

"Demons and dragons and all kinds of magic," said Thanion. "Divine powers, divine beasts... It's like a fantasy novel or something." 

"And every bloody word," said Keane, slowly and with total certainty, "was absolutely, utterly true." 

Dess interjected sourly, "At least, _he_ thought so. Maybe he had a memory implant or something; false memories show up as truth if the person thinks they really happened, don't they?" 

Keane replied in a tired voice, "I dissected his story to the best of my ability. Everything scanned. Everything fit logically. False memories never quite fit logically. He was telling the truth, Dess." 

"But it can't be the truth! It's absolutely impossible. Magic doesn't exist, hey. There's no such thing as dragons or divine whatevers, and wishes never come true." 

"Not in this world," Thanion said quietly. 

Dess continued, not having heard Thanion's statement. "I mean, there's got to be another explanation. A logical explanation. The truthful explanation. This can't be real." 

"All you have to do," said Korry, "is accept the impossible. You have to accept that somewhere out there, there's another world where magic exists and wishes can come true. Then, his whole story is logical, sensible, and believable." 

"But the impossible is still the impossible!" exclaimed Dess. "There has to be another explanation." 

"I'm not saying there isn't one," replied Korry. "It's just that this story explains everything. It could be real, but there could be another, better explanation, that's all." 

Keane sighed. "I wonder how the government types back in Padarath City are taking this. They ask for a simple interrogation of a prisoner of war, and get a fairy tale instead." He started drinking his coffee. "It was going fairly well until he mentioned that Miaka character. I mean, the first part, about the Great Library and the strange book with the alien on the cover, it was marginally believable, but after I asked him about Miaka..." 

Thanion sat silently, staring into space as if he were thinking hard about something. He didn't move at all. 

Korry added, "Remember when he finally realized we'd taken his fan away?" 

Keane winced. "Please don't remind me; that was painful. I've never felt such rage before. It took me ten awful minutes just to calm him down again." 

"I'm starting to get the first replies from Padarath City," announced Dess suddenly. "They don't know what to think. But mainly, they're saying that if you think it's the truth, Keane, they're at least willing to accept the possibility that it really is. At least, that's what most of the communications say. The rest think you've finally gone nuts." 

"Wonderful. Just wonderful," said Keane sarcastically. 

Another long, awkward silence began. Coffee was drunk quietly, and all four Parathaians aboard the small spacecraft seemed lost in thought. Then Thanion spoke up. "I was just wondering..." His voice trailed off into silence. 

"Wondering about what, Than?" asked Korry. 

"Nothing, forget it," he said. "It was a silly thought anyway." 

"No, really," said Dess. "If you have something to say, then go ahead. It's not as if anyone else is providing sparkling conversation around here, hey." 

"Well..." started Thanion. "Do you remember that old legend?" 

"The one about the Champion of Parathay?" asked Korry. 

"Yeah, the one that says a Champion from another world will save Parathay in its time of greatest need, with the help of a team of fighters with great powers." 

"What about it?" asked Keane. 

"Well, have any of you ever thought that it could possibly apply to us?" 

Absolute silence reigned supreme. 

Dess spoke up first. "Okay, Keane may be a little nuts, but Thanion, you're just bonkers. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard." 

"Us, the legendary warriors?" stated Korry. "I don't think so." 

"Aren't you jumping to conclusions, Than?" asked Keane. 

"No, no, I mean it," said the tall blond man earnestly. "I've been thinking, and if what that Tasuki guy said is really true, then he must come from another world, right? Just like in the legend. And we all have, well, powers. That's why we work together, right? We've all got some special talent or something, that sets us apart. Korry's gymnastics stuff, my resonance shattering, Keane's telempathy, and Dess... well, that's obvious. Controlling an entire ship with your mind alone sure sounds like a great power to me. And there's no denying that this is Parathay's time of greatest need, what with the Delanis getting bolder every day, and those blasted aliens attacking all the time." 

Korry looked very thoughtful. "So I guess that brings us to four, then." 

"Four what?" asked Dess. 

"Four possible explanations for this whole situation. An alien plot, or interference from the moon, or a screwed-up government, or an ancient legend finally coming true." 

"You actually believe Than?" Dess said incredulously. 

"We shouldn't rule anything out, not yet," said Korry. "As far as we know, he could be right." 

"Keane?" asked Dess. "What do you think?" 

The Captain frowned. "I'm not sure. But it's definitely a possibility. A remote one, but still potentially valid." 

"I give up," said Dess in disgust. "You're all nuts. I'm just going to go and steer the ship now, okay? Call me when this epidemic of temporary insanity is cured, hey." 

The three people in the common room sat still and silent for a long while. As their small spaceship hurtled through the starry void, towards their home planet that they shared with their Delani enemies, they wondered if maybe, just maybe, Thanion's idea was the truth; if Tasuki, a red-haired kid with an incredible story, was really the Champion who would save their beloved nation of Parathay, and if they were the chosen Team that would fight by his side. 


	4. Chapter Four

* * *

Fushigi Yuugi: Mysterious Worlds

* * *

Chapter 4: 

"Hold on, people, we're launching!" 

The frizzy-haired lady quickly grabbed a handle on the wall, and Chichiri followed her example. He was very glad that he had, as, a second later, the world seemed to lurch sickeningly to one side. 

"And we're clear!" 

At this statement, excited chatter filled the brightly-lit room. Chichiri looked around himself, tightly clutching his staff with one hand, and the handle with the other. He was in a large, high-roofed circular room, made all out of metal. The wall was crusted with handles and with pieces of equipment, none of which was familiar to him. The room was also packed with people, who were starting to drift away from the wall and gather in the centre of the room. Several of them stared with puzzled expressions at Chichiri, scrutinizing him as if he were a bug under glass, trying to figure out who this stranger was and what he was doing there. Almost unconsciously he shrank away from their collective gaze. 

A lady with short dark hair, wearing a silver uniform, was standing at the head of the room. She was speaking firmly to a couple of other uniformed people, as if she was giving them instructions. They nodded smartly when she finished speaking, and started unfolding some of the equipment attached to the wall. One of the uniformed people, a grey-haired man who nonetheless seemed to be quite young, grimaced as he worked, holding his head as if it pained him. 

Chichiri jumped when someone behind him tapped him on the shoulder and said, "You can let go of the handle, now." He turned around. It was the frizzy-haired, silver-uniformed lady, the one who he had followed at Boushin's ghostly request. She smiled gently. 

"So... What are we going to do with you?" she said, loudly enough to be heard over the background chatter. "You're a stowaway, right? You must have gotten on when we locked with Dierith Station yesterday, eh?" Chichiri had no idea what she was talking about. The lady, however, mistook his confused expression for guilt. "Don't worry, we'll get everything sorted out. And that kid you talked about, we'll find him somehow. He probably just got on one of the other escape pods though I can't remember seeing a kid around here anywhere today. Is he your son?" 

Chichiri stared at the lady in shock, his one eye open wide behind his mask. She opened her mouth as if to speak again, but was interrupted by a loud announcement by another uniformed man. He had reddish-brown, cinnamon-coloured hair, and was standing in front of a large console that he had folded out from the wall. His fingers flew over the many switches there as he spoke. "There's no pursuit. The Parathaians just up and left. We're safe, everyone; we should be home in about six hours." A few people cheered at the good news. 

Before the lady could start speaking again, Chichiri hastily said, "No no, he's not my son no da! And you don't need to worry; I know where he is now. He's safe at home no da." 

The lady frowned, a little confused herself. "What are you talking about? Weren't you looking for him a couple of minutes ago?" She tilted her head; her light brown, frizzed hair bounced softly around her face as she stared questioningly at the blue-haired monk. 

"I was," Chichiri replied, "but then he told me he was safe. You were there; didn't you hear him say so, no da?" 

"I heard _what? _ When was this?" the lady asked, clearly puzzled. 

"Just before we went in here, no da!" Chichiri said. He, too, was puzzled. _She MUST have heard Boushin's voice, _ he thought. _She was right beside me when it came down from above! _

The lady stood and stared in Chichiri's general direction, lost in thought. The blue-haired monk debated with himself whether to explain further or to leave the issue alone. Suddenly, however, someone came up behind him and whapped him fairly hard on the back, in what would have been a gesture of camaraderie had it not been so abrupt. The monk was sent reeling forward, and would have fallen if he hadn't still been holding onto the handle set into the wall. 

Chichiri turned quickly and faced his unknown assailant. He was another silver-uniformed man, quite tall, and with very short black hair. The monk recognized this man; he had been helping the frizzy-haired lady to herd people into this strange circular room, just a couple of minutes ago. 

"And what do we have here?" said the black-haired man with a smirk. "A stowaway, eh? Didn't think you'd get caught, I bet. You guys never do." He raised one hand and quickly grabbed Chichiri's fringe of hair before the monk could get away. He tugged on it playfully, as if he was trying to check whether it came off or not. "And what's this hair thing? I'm telling ya, some people today got no respect for the laws of the country, nor the laws of fashion neither..." 

With a slight frown of displeasure, Chichiri pulled away from the black-haired man's playful teasing and smug expression, rescuing his poor abused hair from the other man's grasp. This only seemed to amuse the man even more, as he started chuckling. "Hey, don't worry," he said, "we won't get you in too much trouble with the law, now will we, Jaxie?" 

"Metaxos," warned the lady, "just give up, okay?" She turned back to Chichiri, looking apologetic. "Sorry about that. He's just, well... You know how it is." Chichiri nodded, even though he really didn't. 

Chichiri then remembered what the black-haired man, Metaxos, had just been talking about. _In trouble with the law? _ he thought. _Why would I be in trouble with the law? I haven't done anything wrong! _ He opened his mouth to ask the frizzy-haired lady, Jaxie, as well as Metaxos, exactly _why_ he might be in trouble with the law, and, while he was at it, _which_ country's law he might be in trouble with. But suddenly, Metaxos was nowhere to be seen. 

Chichiri, utterly confused, wondered, _I just looked away for a second. Where could he have gone? _ After a few seconds of searching the crowded room with his gaze, the monk located Metaxos again. He was in the middle of a conversation with the dark-haired uniformed lady, over on the far side of the large room. Chichiri blinked. "How did he get there so quickly, no da?" he asked out loud. 

Jaxie noticed the blue-haired monk's confusion. "Yeah, he does that sometimes," she explained. "You get used to it." Chichiri didn't understand, and wanted to question her further, but she kept on talking. "Okay, Central Space Authority will want some basic information about you, so, well, the sooner we start, the sooner it'll end, right? First question. What's your ID number?" 

"What's an ID number, no da?" 

Jaxie's eyes bugged out. "You forgot your ID number?" she exclaimed. "How could you... How..." She visibly struggled to master her shock. Finally, she managed to regain some form of control over herself. "Well," she muttered, "this makes everything a lot more exciting." She pulled a small, flat, rectangular box from a pocket in her silver uniform. Chichiri noticed that one side of the box was half covered in small buttons. Jaxie started pressing those buttons rapidly. 

"So... What's your name?" 

"Chichiri," he answered, seeing no reason to give his real name. 

"Place of birth?" she asked, still tapping away at the buttons on the box. 

"Konan Country." 

"_Where? _" 

"Konan Country, no da," Chichiri repeated patiently. 

Jaxie stared at the little box as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. Chichiri wondered what was so fascinating about the box, and moved closer to get a better look at it. What he saw truly amazed him. The parts of the box not covered by buttons were covered with strange symbols. He supposed it was writing of a sort, but he couldn't read any of it. And the symbols were _moving! _

"No mention of a place called Konan in any records. Are you _sure_ that's the right name?" Jaxie asked. Chichiri nodded. The frizzy-haired lady did not look reassured. 

It was then that Chichiri realized something important. "Oh, I forgot! This is a different world, no da. There isn't a Konan Country here!" he exclaimed. 

Jaxie stopped typing and stared at him. "What are you talking about?" she finally said. 

"I come from a different world, no da. And there " 

"You _what? _" 

"I said, I come from a " 

"I heard you! I just..." Jaxie's voice trailed off. Looking worried, she then called out, "Metaxos!" 

The black-haired man appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "You called?" he said with a smirk. But Jaxie wasn't in the mood for joking. She said curtly, "Just keep an eye on him, okay?" She strode off purposefully. 

Metaxos leaned against the wall. "So what've you done this time?" he asked the blue-haired monk. Chichiri ignored him, and watched Jaxie approach the dark-haired, silver-uniformed lady, the one that seemed to give the orders around here. 

Jaxie talked to the lady for a few minutes. Both of them seemed to be very serious. Chichiri realized that he'd probably made a large mistake by admitting that he'd come from another world. _But what else could I have said? _ he thought to himself. _Anything else would have been a lie. _ He also considered the possibility that Jaxie didn't believe him, and now thought of him as some kind of compulsive liar, or even a lunatic. Chichiri concluded unhappily that he had absolutely no idea what to do. He decided to stay and see what happened; he had little choice but to do so, after all.

* * *

"From another world? Are you _sure_, Jaxie?" 

"Everything fits. His clothes, his hair; they're different from anything I've ever seen before, Bri. And I've seen a lot of fashions. So " 

"Wait," said the Delani Team Leader, Briony de la Mare. "You're basing your entire statement on a _fashion analysis? _ Isn't that a little... naive? I mean, he could have just wrapped himself in a blue bedsheet and used lots of hair spray this morning. It's not that hard to look exotic, or just plain weird." 

Jaxinthe Cobraie shook her head. "That's not all. I started asking him the standard set of ident questions, and he asked me what an ID number was. He didn't know! And his stated country of birth did not exist. Not in three databases, or in a hierarchic cross-check against all listed place-names over the past hundred years." 

Briony frowned. "Nothing you've said can convince me that he's not just a con artist, making up a wild story to deceive us all. I mean, everyone in Raiver Delan knows the Legend." 

"There's more," said Jaxinthe, looking her Team Leader straight in the eye. "Just before I got him to come into this pod, I thought I heard a voice. Some kind of disembodied voice, coming down from above. And it wasn't the intercom, I'm sure of it," she said hastily, in answer to Briony's unasked question. "Later on, he mentioned the voice, so I'm sure I wasn't just dreaming or anything." 

Jaxinthe continued. "But all that's incidental. Bri, you know I usually don't trust my intuition or feelings or whatever, but I have this really strong feeling, deep down... You know what I mean; you have to! He truly is the one, Bri. I _know_ it." 

"You're sure?" 

"Absolutely." 

Briony looked away, deep in thought. When she spoke again, she spoke softly. "I'm not convinced; I'm nowhere near being convinced. But then, what else is new?" She sighed, and looked over at the blue-haired stranger, the unwitting cause of all this confusion.

* * *

It was at that moment that Josek Gawarnath, standing by the far wall of the escape pod, called out the words that everyone in the pod had been eagerly waiting for. The silver-uniformed, grey-haired young man poked a few final buttons on the complex machinery in front of him, turned, and called out, "Coffee's ready!" 

Josek was immediately swamped by a frenzied flow of people, all enthusiastically shoving their way towards the coffee dispensing machine. Grimacing in pain, he frantically squirmed away through the crowded mess of coffee-crazed people, and made his way to Nicodemus Melenkurion's workstation, a tiny oasis of calm in the crowded, bustling escape pod. 

Nicodemus looked up from his work. "Hey, Josek, how're you feeling?" the cinnamon-haired man asked. Taking a closer look at his skinny friend's condition, he exclaimed in a worried tone of voice, "Are you all right?" 

Josek was silently leaning against the wall, with his hands clutching his head, and with his brow furrowed in pain. Nicodemus wanted to leave his work and go and try to help his friend, but he didn't dare leave the workstation for even a second. _Besides, _ he thought pragmatically, _it would probably make things even worse. _ So he stood by his console, keeping one eye on the switches and dials, and one eye on Josek. After a minute or two, he asked quietly, "Would it help if we tried to pack everyone into the far side of the room?" 

The grey-haired young man, wincing, shook his head. "No," he croaked. "This pod is too small." Finally, he shuddered, and seemed to relax slightly. "I'm alright now," he said. "I was just... overwhelmed... back there." 

"But you're " 

"Doing better now? Yeah," said Josek, finishing Nicodemus's statement before the cinnamon-haired man could. He even managed a weak, shuddery smile. Nicodemus had to look away; he couldn't bear to see his young friend in such neverending pain. But there was nothing that anyone could do about it. 

Nicodemus, feeling frustrated, turned back to his switches and dials, monitoring the situation constantly for any change in any of a dozen different types of equipment essential for the survival of everyone aboard the escape pod. It wasn't a particularly hard job, but it was a very necessary one, that required concentration. Nico was good at concentration. But then his carefully maintained concentration, strained by Josek's condition, was almost shattered by the arrival of his Team Leader, Briony. 

"Josek," she said as she approached the young grey-haired man. "We need your help." 

Nicodemus almost choked. _Can't you see he's in pain? _ he felt like screaming out loud. _Isn't he suffering enough? _ But he said nothing; he knew that nothing could change the situation. Josek followed Briony back, towards the mysterious blue-haired stranger; as he passed Nicodemus, he smiled feebly, as if to thank his cinnamon-haired friend for even thinking about trying to stand up for him. 

Again, Nicodemus turned back to the workstation in front of him, finding solace in his work.

* * *

"You're in for it now," said Metaxos, looking annoyingly smug, as usual. 

Chichiri stared at him, unimpressed. Then he turned back towards the small group of people who were approaching him and Metaxos. The dark-haired lady who Chichiri assumed was in charge here was leading the way, and both Jaxie and the young man who had earlier yelled out something about "caw-fee" were following her. Jaxie still seemed to be extremely and unusually serious, while the man kept wincing periodically. The lady's expression, however, was unreadable. 

She walked right up to Chichiri and stared him straight in the eyes. He felt as though he was being pierced straight through to his soul. "We have some questions," she said intently. 

_Yes, _ thought Chichiri, _but do I have the answers? _ At that exact instant, the grey-haired young man, who had been standing with his head bent down, one hand holding his head as if he were in pain, looked directly at the blue-haired monk and smiled as if he had heard Chichiri's thoughts... 

The lady, whose dark hair was as short as Yui's had been, so many years ago, continued speaking as if nothing had happened. "First question: where exactly is this Konan Country?" she asked, clearly expecting a precise answer. 

And boy, did she ever get one.

* * *

It took a long time. It took a very long time. And when it was over, Delani Team Leader Briony de la Mare was just as uncertain as she had been before it started. 

Briony's intense questioning had uncovered quite a bit more than anyone had expected. The most fantastic story had slowly emerged from the words and occasionally the impassioned gestures of the strange little blue-haired man. Guided in her questioning by Josek's talent for seeing partway into the surface thoughts of people's minds, Briony had been able to learn an immense amount about the culture, history, and mysterious legends of a world that seemed very different from her own. But still she could not bring herself to believe that the man Chichiri, he said his name was was truly from another world. _No, _ she thought. _That would be too easy. To be searching off-and-on for the person spoken of by the Legend for years, decades even, and then have him fall straight into our laps... I just can't believe this. _ She even looked searchingly at Jaxinthe from time to time, as if to say, "Do you still actually believe his story? Even his talk of magic spells, demons, and animal gods that devour their Mikos?" Jaxinthe just looked calmly back, secure in her faith that the fulfillment of all their hopes and dreams was standing before them. 

Metaxos had been sent away soon after the questioning had begun, because of his unfortunate tendency to make snide comments whenever a "no da" escaped the lips of the blue-haired stranger. He was currently taking care of the questions and concerns of the civilians aboard the Delani escape pod, and trying to divert everyone's attention from the mysterious man who was taking up so much of the time and attention of the military team assigned to this escape pod. 

Josek had been unable to tell Briony whether Chichiri's amazing tale was the truth or not; his talent for reading thoughts wasn't nearly as precise as that. He was pretty much convinced, though; according to him, such a complex, convoluted story couldn't be simply made up, and if it had all been a lie, it would have had many more inconsistencies. Briony sighed once again. She seemed to be doing that a lot today. 

_Just a few more questions, _ she thought to herself, _and then it's over. For now. _ Chichiri had just finished describing what he knew of the political relations between the four countries of his world, so she jumped right in and began her next question, saying, "You've of course heard about the Legend." 

"Yes, na no da," was the blue-haired man's prompt answer. "The legend of Suzaku no Miko, and how she would come to Konan Country to save it from its enemies " 

"Hold it. I didn't mean _your_ legend. I meant the Legend," Briony interrupted. 

Chichiri looked very confused. "That was the legend, no da," he said tiredly. "Unless you mean the one about the crown prince of Konan Country? That he would be born with the mark of a Suzaku Shichiseishi on his...?" 

"No, I meant the Legend." 

"I don't know any other legends, no da." 

Briony frowned disapprovingly. "Don't try to pull that one on me. Everyone knows the Legend." 

The blue-haired man who claimed he came from another world could only shake his head. Briony turned back to Josek, expecting him to have detected a hint of deception, a hint of dishonesty, from the stranger. After all, he'd just pretended he didn't know about the greatest legend of all, the Legend that was whispered in corridors and spoken in the streets throughout the entire Empire of Raiver Delan; especially now, when the Empire was threatened on all sides, by the increasingly hostile Parathaians, as well as by the mysterious, menacing aliens. 

Josek, however, didn't confirm what Briony had been suspecting all along, that the blue-haired stranger was some kind of fraud. Instead, with a puzzled look on his youthful face, he said quietly, "I don't think he knows it." 

"What?" exclaimed Briony. "That's impossible. Anyone from the Empire would..." Turning quickly back towards Chichiri, she said, "You _must_ know it. The legend about the Champion that will come from another world, to save Raiver Delan in its time of greatest need..." Her voice trailed away. 

Behind her, Josek said faintly, "Recognition of the Legend's similarity to the other one, the one about Suzaku no Miko. Consideration of the possibility that the Legend applies to him. Nothing more." 

"It's really true," a wide-eyed Briony said to Chichiri. "You are the Champion." A strange sensation arose, deep within her heart. At that instant, she knew, with absolute certainty, that those words were completely true. 

"You are the Champion," she repeated in awe, half reaching out towards the blue-haired man, as if she was afraid that he was just a figment of their collective imagination created by their country's desperate need, that could disappear at any moment. She heard a snicker behind her, and Jaxie's voice saying, "Told you so!" 

Chichiri stood absolutely still, as if he was frozen in place. Conflicting emotions swelled within him, alternating panic, confusion, and elation. He thought, _Is this what Miaka felt, when she first came to our world and was asked to become Suzaku no Miko? _ He wanted to ask the dark-haired lady about the Legend, and about this Raiver Delan she had mentioned; he wanted to know what was expected of the Champion before committing himself to a cause about which he knew nothing, but strangely enough, something compelled him to nod and murmur, "Yes. I am." 

At these words, joyful expressions lit up the faces of the three silver-uniformed people standing before him. The lady who had asked so many questions, who had seemed to be skeptical of everything he had said, smiled brightly. She stepped forwards and clasped his hands in hers. "We are your Team," she said, "who will fight alongside you for the salvation of Raiver Delan. I am Briony de la Mare, the Team Leader." Still smiling, she indicated frizzy-haired Jaxie, standing behind her. "This is Jaxinthe Cobraie." 

Jaxie grinned and said, "Welcome to our world! Hope you like it here!" 

Briony nodded towards the young grey-haired man. "This is Josek Gawarnath." Josek smiled wanly and raised a hand in greeting. "Over there, at the workstation," Briony let go of Chichiri's hands and pointed to the cinnamon-haired man who had spoken early on during the voyage, "is Nicodemus Melenkurion. And I believe you've already met Metaxos Llyane." 

_Have I ever, _ thought Chichiri, remembering the annoying black-haired man who even now was zipping around through the crowd of people gathered in the centre of the circular room - or "pod", as he had heard someone call it. He nodded and smiled, wondering what kind of mess he'd gotten himself into. 


	5. Chapter Five

* * *

Fushigi Yuugi: Mysterious Worlds

* * *

Chapter 5: 

Boushin slowly put down the book. A brilliant smile lit up his entire face, even though a hint of tears could still be seen in his eyes. Still sitting in his mother's lap, he turned towards her and said, "They're okay!" 

His mother, the Empress-Regent Houki, smiled back and hugged him tightly. "I knew they would be okay," she said softly. "They're seishi; they can take care of themselves, I'm sure." 

"I was so scared!" her son declared, clutching the strange book tightly. "I thought for sure the Par... the Parathaians would be mean to Tasuki, but they just asked him questions and the others, the Delanis, were all nice to Chichiri! Well, all except for Metaxos," he said, reconsidering. 

Boushin twisted in his mother's lap and held the book in both hands to get a good look at its cover. "I wonder what happens next?" he said, his eyes drawn to the picture of the large bug-man featured prominently on the cover. 

He started to open the book again, but his mother covered his hands with her own. "That's enough," she said. "That's enough excitement for one day. We're all tired now, and the book isn't going to disappear overnight. We can read it tomorrow." 

Boushin stared at her, eyes open wide. "But... but what if something bad happens?" he said. 

"We'll find out tomorrow. But now, it's time for little Emperors to go to bed," she said, smiling sweetly. 

Boushin couldn't believe what he was hearing. _But I have to know what happens!_ he thought. _It's my fault Tasuki and Chichiri are in the book at all, so I have to make sure they're okay. Why doesn't Mama understand?_

He held onto the book tightly, and started to speak, to defend his right to keep reading. Houki anticipated his protest and silenced him with one look. "Now off to bed with you!" she told her young son, in a no-compromise tone of voice, taking the book out of his unwilling hands. Reluctantly Boushin did as his mother had told him to do. He slid off her lap and grabbed his little wooden horse before leaving the room with a pair of palace guards as an escort. He trudged dejectedly the entire way back to his room, and when he arrived there, he flopped tiredly onto his bed. 

Boushin held the little horse up to the fading afternoon light that permeated his room. He inspected it slowly and carefully; it was beautifully made, almost flawless. "Tasuki must have worked awfully hard on you," he murmured sadly to the wooden horse. "But now he's gone, in another world... and Chichiri too. I wish I could help them, but Mama won't let me keep reading the book! It's not fair. " 

The little Emperor desperately wanted to know what was happening to the two remaining seishi of Suzaku. He knew, however, that he had to abide by his mother's wishes. He couldn't sneak out of his room to read the book in secret, either, as the palace guards assigned to keep him safe would surely stop him before he'd gone two paces out of his room. 

Boushin rolled over on his bed until he was lying on his back. "There's nothing I can do," he whispered hopelessly. He stared up at his ceiling as the last of the afternoon's light faded slowly away.

* * *

Empress-Regent Houki rubbed her forehead, trying to ease the persistent ache that was causing her head to pound. "This has been a stressful day," she stated quietly. Around her, various guards and advisors nodded in agreement. 

She picked up the strange book and regarded it with distaste, saying, "This... thing... has already taken two seishi, and it almost took my son. I wish that no one had ever found it; I wish that it had mouldered in that storeroom for all eternity. But there's no going back now." She sighed, looking for a moment as if the weight of an entire world was resting on her slight shoulders. "I don't want to read any more. It's making my head hurt." 

"You shouldn't strain yourself, Your Grace," said a concerned advisor. 

"I'll be fine," she said tiredly, trying to convince herself as much as her advisors. Suddenly, she looked up, determination blazing in her eyes. "I don't want my son reading this book," she said firmly. "Not anymore. It's dangerous; Chichiri and Tasuki might never return from its pages. If something bad does happen to them, Boushin will blame it on himself. I don't want my son growing up thinking himself responsible for the deaths of two seishi. He's a sensitive boy as it is; such a thing would destroy him." 

"Your Grace, what do you propose we should do?" asked an advisor, worried at the thought of losing the last of Suzaku's seishi. "If we took the book to Taiitsu-kun...?" 

Houki pondered his words for a moment, then said, "No. She wouldn't be able to help; she wouldn't tell us anything other than to keep on reading." Her fingers tightened around the book. "We have no choice." As her advisors looked on, she opened the book again, and continued reading the story that had swallowed two seishi.

* * *

"More paperwork. Just what I need." 

As he sat in front of his computer terminal, Keane grimaced at the thought of all the work that lay ahead of him. "Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork...," he muttered sourly. "It doesn't even involve paper anymore, and still it's a god-awful waste of time. And thanks to this inexplicable Tasuki character, I've got a million more forms to fill out, a million statements to register; as if I didn't have enough work to do in the first place..." The dark-skinned man sighed, then started busying himself, skimming through the latest batch of to-be-completed files that had been relayed to him from Padarath City. 

As soon as he started, however, he was interrupted by a synthesized voice, seemingly emanating from the walls of his tiny private office. "Captain, there's bad news from the front lines. Very very bad news," exclaimed Dess. Keane was instantly alert; he had given Dess, the chief communications officer, orders not to bother him except during an emergency. This meant that whatever this news was, it must be incredibly important. 

Dess continued, saying, "The aliens busted through our defenses a couple of minutes ago. The breach was closed, but some ships got through, and no one's been able to stop them yet. And one of those ships is headed directly towards us." 

Keane couldn't believe what he was hearing. "An alien warship?" he yelped. 

Dess's disembodied voice replied, "You got it." 

An instant later, Keane's whirling mind sorted itself out. Quickly and efficiently he dumped the unnecessary files he'd just been working on, not at all sorry to see them gone. He called up several sets of schematic diagrams, one for the little Parathaian ship that he commanded, and one that, as far as anyone knew, described the type of alien warships that for the past few weeks had been hounding the planet shared by the countries of Parathay and Raiver Delan. Comparing the two sets of diagrams, he groaned, then said, half to himself and half to Dess, "Against a Delani civilian ship whose only crime is pushing the boundaries of Delani space, we're fine; against an alien warship of this class, we have no chance. Our ship isn't built for a high-power fight." Keane spent a few seconds concentrating fiercely. "Inform Korry and Thanion of this situation at once," he finally ordered. "We need to come up with something, and fast. I imagine High Command is being its usual incredibly helpful self?" 

"Yup. A couple of the alien ships are making a beeline for Padarath City; all of the available forces are concentrated there to protect the capital. We're on our own, hey." 

"Just like we usually are," muttered Keane. After scanning his ship's schematics one more time, he said grimly, "The only weapons we have that can do any damage at all to the warship are the laser cannons." He frowned; the cannons could be effective, but they had to be extremely accurate in order to do any significant damage. What's more, they could only be fired a few times before their energy reserves became depleted and the Parathaians had used their cannons just a few hours before, against the Delani ship. Keane glanced at a row of indicator lights on the wall by his head. "The laser cannons aren't fully recharged yet," he said, noting the one telltale amber light that was far too slow in becoming green. "How long do we have before the warship gets within firing range?" 

"Ten minutes, at most." 

"Damn... The cannons won't be at full power, but they're the best shot we have. Dess, I want you to shut down the communications switchboard for now; until this is over, no messages will be of use to us, so the switchboard's a useless drain on our power supply. I want you to concentrate your efforts on those cannons; right now, you're the only chance we've got." 

"Understood, sir."

* * *

"It's coming..." 

The room was pitch-black. Entire walls were covered with screens that should have been flashing brightly with statistics, with diagrams, with information and communications of all types, but all the screens were dark. Anyone who could control an entire ship with their mind alone had no need of mere statistics. 

One person sat calmly in the middle of the room, in the middle of the little Parathaian ship's control centre. With eyes closed in fierce concentration, Dess muttered, "It's coming. It's almost here. Just a few more seconds..." 

The wait had been interminable. In the neverending darkness, seconds had stretched out into minutes, minutes into hours. But now the wait was almost over. With senses extended far into space due to the Parathaian ship's sensitive instrumentation, Dess watched the alien warship make its approach. Its weapons were primed and ready for use; it was merely waiting for the human's ship to come within firing range. 

The Parathaian ship's laser cannons were ready; they'd been ready for minutes. Charged with power and swivelled into position, all they needed was a signal from Dess and their lethal potential would be realized. 

Finally, the strange alien ship crossed an invisible line drawn in space. Dess smiled, an odd half-smile that held no reassurance or mercy, and fired. And fired.

* * *

"Remind me to congratulate Dess; that is, if we survive," said Thanion jokingly. "I didn't think it'd be possible to knock out all the warship's weapons systems with just two shots, but Dess sure proved me wrong." 

Korry smiled crookedly and started running diagnostic tests on her laser rifle. "And it's a good thing too, otherwise we'd all be dead," she added. 

Suddenly, Dess's synthesized voice sprang into existence. "Thanks for the compliment, hey!" The voice's tone changed, becoming much more serious. "Update: the warship's continuing its approach. Their main weapons may be out, but they're not dead yet. It looks like they're planning to board us." 

"Damn. That's just what we need," muttered Thanion, "those blasted bugs running around in here like they own the ship." Korry just frowned and kept running diagnostics on her rifle. 

"Correction," said Dess suddenly, "they're not just planning to board us. They've already begun." The entire ship shuddered under Korry and Thanion's feet. "They've just moored themselves to an entry hatch. We should have a couple of dozen aliens in here within the next two minutes." 

"Dammit!" yelled Thanion. 

"Sure don't waste any time, do they," said Korry, doing a final calibration on her favourite weapon. 

"As far as I can tell, they'll head straight for the control room, once they figure out where it is. You two are needed there ASAP; Keane's already on his way. I'm doing my best to get our internal weapons systems up and running; it'll be tricky with just aux power, but I'll manage somehow." 

"You always do, eh?" replied Thanion, full of confidence. He grabbed his own laser rifle and followed Korry, who had already started off towards the control room from where Dess was running the ship. 

"Too bad it took out our main power supply," Thanion said as he ran. "Must be awfully hard for Dess, trying to run everything on just the aux power." 

"We're lucky the warship only got that one shot in before Dess took out its main weapons. It must have been trying to majorly cripple us, or something like that, so it could capture our ship easily," said Korry. 

"To study it?" 

"No doubt. And probably, to study us as well." 

Thanion grimaced. "I'd hate to have a bunch of bugs poking around inside my dead body." 

"You're not the only one!" said Korry vehemently. 

For a few seconds, the two armoured Parathaians ran in silence, coming ever closer to the control room. Then, Thanion remembered something urgent. "Dess!" he exclaimed. "What about Tasuki? We can't just leave him alone, especially not if those bugs'll be running around the ship. They might find him." 

Dess's synthesized voice replied immediately. "I've got everything under control. He'll show up at the control centre in a few minutes." 

"And then we get to protect him, too. Great," muttered Korry. 

"But it'll be worth it. If he _is_ the Champion, I mean," said Thanion. 

They rounded one final corner, and arrived at the control room door. Captain Keane was already there. He was in similar battle armour, with rifle at the ready. He acknowledged the arrival of the rest of his team with a nod of his head, and said, "Now all we have to do is wait; for Tasuki, and for the aliens."

* * *

Captivity was beginning to seriously wear Tasuki down. After his dark-skinned interrogator had left, he'd lasted only about ten or fifteen minutes before trying his level best to bust down the strange white walls that surrounded him. Unsuccessfully, of course. 

Even though no one had been around at the time, Tasuki had almost been able to feel the mocking stares of his strange captors. For all he knew, they'd been somehow watching the whole time, and were laughing at him even now for trying to break free. "To hell with 'em," he muttered. 

He was lying on the bed, nursing his bruised fists. He'd stopped punching the walls after the pain became too much to bear, though he was planning to start again as soon as the pain died down a little; after all, there was nothing else to do. Tasuki had never been so bored in his entire life. His tiny cell was blank, featureless; there was nothing there to occupy his attention. The only things even remotely ressembling excitement had happened a few minutes ago. The lights had flickered off, then on again, though they were much dimmer than before, and slightly later, the floor had shook a little. Not exactly Tasuki's idea of attention-grabbing entertainment. 

"I want my tessen back, you bastards!" he yelled. Over the past hour or so, he'd taken to yelling random demands and insults, in the hope that one of them would spark a reaction. Any reaction on the part of his captors, whether good or bad, would be better than this neverending dullness. 

Then, one of the walls of Tasuki's tiny cell again became transparent. He immediately sprang to his feet, and stared out into the hall beyond. "No one there!" he spat. "What's going on?" 

A voice seemed to spring out of nowhere. It sounded intensely strange, almost inhuman, buzzing with metallic overtones. "The door's open," it said loudly. "I'd suggest you get out of here. We're about to have some very unpleasant guests." 

"What?" Tasuki yelled, trying to see out into the dark hallway. "Who are you? _Where_ are you?" To his surprise, he found that the transparent wall no longer existed. He stumbled out into the hallway. There was no one in sight. 

"Go to your right. Quickly. You don't have much time," said the voice urgently. 

Tasuki saw this as a great opportunity to make some demands. "I'm not going anywhere without my tessen!" he shouted, crossing his arms and planting his feet firmly. 

"You have to!" the voice insisted. 

"I'm not going anywhere, whoever the hell you are!" an irate Tasuki insisted, looking back and forth frantically to find the source of the mysterious voice. 

"I'm doing this to protect you, idiot," snapped the voice. "Now get moving." 

"I can protect myself!" yelled Tasuki furiously. "Just give me my tessen back!" Suddenly, a thundering sound to his left drew his attention. He stared incomprehendingly at the huge insect-like being that had turned a corner and arrived at the end of the hallway. Its pitch-black carapace glistened malevolently, even in the low light. It raised a metallic device in its wiry pincers, and before he knew what was happening, Tasuki's shoulder felt like it was on fire. 

"Dammit! I _told_ you to get moving!" shouted the strange voice as Tasuki cried out, gripping his burned shoulder in agony. 

Tasuki barely noticed a mechanical whirring noise coming from above. A tiny red beam of light sprang from a little grey box set into the ceiling. The bug-monster shrieked, and dropped its now-smoking weapon. Beam after beam of red light struck the alien, and its carapace began smoking at a dozen different points. Chittering angrily, it quickly got away, backing around the corner to safety. 

"I can't do too much more of that," muttered the voice. "Power levels too low... so hard... So do you believe me yet? Or do you have a death wish?" 

Wincing in pain, Tasuki yelled, "If I had my tessen, I could've killed that... that thing! I don't need your protection!" 

"You still want your iron fan back? After all that?" said the voice angrily. "I give up! I'll get you your fan back. Just follow my damn instructions, alright?" 

"Sure!" Tasuki eagerly agreed. Still clutching his injured shoulder, he raced down several short, shadowed hallways, following the directions given him by the otherworldly voice. 

"Stop here," said the voice. "Wait a minute while I open the door, okay?" Tasuki stopped in front of a segment of the hallway that was darker than the surrounding walls. It didn't look much like a door to him. 

Seconds passed, and nothing seemed to happen. Out of boredom, Tasuki asked the mysterious voice, "Are you invisible? You've followed me all this time, but I can't see you anywhere." He walked up to the door, searching for the invisible person that was trying to open it. 

"I'm not here, I'm in another room." 

Tasuki blinked. "But I can hear you clearly," he said. 

"Trust me. I'm nowhere near here." 

Suspiciously, Tasuki asked, "How can you open the door if you're not even here?" 

"Like this." 

Suddenly, the door disappeared, revealing a small room stuffed full of metallic equipment. On a table, clamped with all sorts of gizmos and gadgets, was his tessen. Tasuki rushed inside and grabbed it, stripping off the gizmos and yelling, "All right!" 

"Quickly now!" said the voice. "You've got to get to... oh, dammit." 

Another enormous insect-man suddenly appeared in the doorway. It was carrying a strange metal weapon, just like the other one had been carrying. From the loud sounds of chittering, several other bugs were nearby. This time, Tasuki didn't wait around. Lifting his metal fan high, he shouted, "Lekka shien!" 

A wave of fire engulfed the buglike monster. It shrieked, and fired its weapon blindly, making sparks fly from nearby pieces of mechanical equipment. The flames soon died away. Tasuki saw that the creature, despite its shrieks, had barely been affected by the flames. "What the hell?" he gasped. 

"Its shell is too tough!" said the bodiless voice. "Let's see if I can help with that." Almost instantly, tiny red beams sprang from another little grey box in the ceiling. They targeted the bug's carapace and soon burned a dozen holes into it, despite its shrieks of protest and frantic firing. Not to be outdone, Tasuki again used his tessen to surround the bug with flames. 

This time, the laser burn-holes allowed the flames entrance to the insect-man's soft, flammable inner parts. It wailed, one final sound of despair, dropped its weapon, and blazed merrily, soon collapsing to the ground. 

No sooner had the one bug been defeated when another took its place. Tasuki, working together with whoever was controlling the red beams of light, destroyed it as well, and a third one, in a similar fashion. When no more bugs appeared, he breathed a sigh of relief, though still holding his tessen at the ready. 

"Wow," said the voice, sounding tired, but impressed. "Tasuki... your name's Tasuki, right? Nice job!" 

"Yeah! And you... you made those red light things, didn't you? We work together pretty well, eh, whoever you are..." 

"Call me Dess," offered the voice. 

"Um... sure," replied Tasuki. "Dess." _Strange name,_ he thought, _whoever this guy really is._ The red-haired bandit remembered how Dess's strange red lights, whatever they were, had turned the tide of battle decisively in his favour. _I guess I owe him for that,_ he thought, not quite sure what to think, but prepared now to think of Dess as more of an ally than an oppressor. 

"Well, now that that's over," said Dess, "we'd better get down to the control room. The rest of my team seriously needs rescuing."

* * *

"You okay, Captain?" said Korry, covering for him with scathing bursts of laser fire as he recovered slowly from what seemed to be a deep mental shock. 

"Yeah," groaned Keane, barely able to hold on to his own laser rifle. "I tried seeing if I could pick up any emotions from the aliens; if I could only get some kind of insight that'd give us an edge... no chance. Their minds are too weird..." 

Korry dodged every single one of the aliens' shots with ease. She sprang with elastic grace around the room, often retreating from the safety of the shelter the humans had hastily rigged up out of a small metal table. Her precise laser fire coaxed shrieks of annoyance out of the attacking aliens. 

"Dess, are you sure you can't get the lasers to work here?" yelled Thanion, firing his own laser rifle frantically. Unlike Korry, he wasn't adept at dodging, and the aliens' weapons had burned him in a dozen places. "We could really use some help here!" 

"I've tried them a thousand times," replied Dess's strange synthesized voice. "The lasers are working fine in other places. I'm not quite sure, but I think the ones here are defective." 

"That's... good to know," remarked Thanion, sourly. 

There were seven aliens exchanging laser fire with the Parathaians. Their tough carapaces were covered in scorch marks from the humans' rifles, but not a single bug had even been seriously injured. The hand-held laser beams weren't as focused as the ceiling-mounted lasers, and couldn't quite pierce the bugs' tough, glossy outer shells. 

"If you could just crack the shells somehow," suggested Dess. "The bugs' insides burn really well, once you get through the shell." 

"I'm with you," said Thanion. Instantly, Korry and a slightly recovered Keane covered for him with increased laser fire, as he ducked behind the shelter, closed his eyes, and concentrated hard. 

The bugs began to look more and more uncomfortable. Their otherworldly chittering became louder, more strident. Soon after that, cracks appeared in their tough shells. 

Finally, Thanion slumped forward. "That's all I can do right now," he said wearily. "It had better be enough." 

Keane and Korry immediately targeted the largest cracks in the bugs' shells. This new tactic brought some slight success. A few lucky shots seriously wounded two of the aliens, making them drop hastily out of the battle, shrieking, to tend to their flaming limbs. But there were still too many of the aliens. It would be only a matter of time before the humans would be overpowered. 

Dess's voice intruded suddenly. "Get down!" The others instinctively obeyed, knowing from long experience that Dess had an overview of the battle that no one else could ever have. 

An unfamiliar voice shouted, "Lekka shien!" Soon the room was full of fire, and of the horrified shrieking of the bugs whose cracked outer shells could no longer repel the flames. The Parathaians didn't quite understand what was going on, but the ferocious heat of the air above persuaded them to keep their heads down. 

The heat quickly faded, though the aliens' anguished shrieks took longer to die down. Finally, there was silence. Keane, judging that it was safe, slowly stood and took in the strange scene that presented itself to him. 

Seven black, smoking carcasses littered the floor. All of the aliens, surrounded by flames, had succumbed and now lay dead. Beyond them, standing defiantly in the doorway, was the redheaded kid, their erstwhile prisoner. He was grinning ferociously, and holding his metal fan with confidence. 

"Amazing," gasped Korry, staring at Tasuki. "The pyrokinetics..." 

Thanion stood up shakily, holding onto the now unneccessary shelter for support. In an awed tone of voice, he said, "The Champion of Parathay... " 

"Great job," added Dess's synthesized voice. "You've got a lot of control with that fan thing, hey." 

Tasuki's grin widened. He put his fan out of the way in some kind of holster strapped to his back. Then, as if for the first time, he noticed there were other people in the room. "You," he said, looking at Thanion, recognizing him from the time he'd been kidnapped. "You!" he snapped, recognizing Keane, his interrogator. He started to reach for his fan once more. 

"Easy, easy, Tasuki," said Dess, trying to pacify him. "This is my team; we work together. They're my friends." This managed to check his rage slightly; apparently, Dess had made some kind of impression on him. 

"Tasuki," said Keane, with all the composure he could muster in the face of the redhead's barely-suppressed anger. "Thank you. You saved our lives. Padarath City will repay you well for what you have done. As far as I'm concerned, you're not a prisoner anymore." 

This seemed to mollify him slightly. "Better not be," he muttered angrily, fixing Keane with a piercing glare. 

"About the ship, guys?" Dess interjected suddenly. "I'm tired. Really tired. Don't think I can keep this up for much longer. I'm trying to shut down most of the unnecessary stuff... the lasers, the power drain... try to put the communications switchboard back up... got most of that done..." 

"Dess, you're officially relieved, as of right now," said Keane in a commanding tone of voice, turning away from Tasuki. "You've done more than enough. Get out of there and get some sleep!" 

"Who needs sleep? All I want is more coffee," replied Dess lightly. However, the door blocking entrance to the control room swiftly disappeared. A curious Tasuki stepped forward, no doubt to see what kind of person his ally would turn out to be. 

There was one person sitting in the middle of the dark control room, surrounded by all kinds of computer terminals, as well as by walls covered with dozens of darkened screens. As Tasuki and the other Parathaians watched, the screens slowly began to flicker to life, bathing the control room and the person in an ever-brightening glow. 

As soon as Tasuki got his first good look at Dess, his eyes widened. "A... woman...?" 

Dess was finishing off a mug of coffee, so the synthesized, mind-controlled voice replied, "Ardessa Brenfort, at your service." She put down the now-empty mug, and with vocal cords stiff from disuse, croaked, "Need to get me some more coffee. Almost ran out in here, hey." She waved a slightly shaking hand around the control room, where six or seven large, empty coffeepots were strewn around randomly. 

Leaving his minor laser burns for later treatment, Thanion strode into the control room, followed closely by Korry. "You get out of here, Dess. It's our turn now," said Korry kindly, helping her out of her chair. 

Staggering a little, Ardessa walked out of the control room. Having overcome his momentary shock, Tasuki rushed to help her. "Thanks," she said weakly, leaning on his shoulder. "Wow, trying to wrestle a wounded ship into submission... 's a little tough. I think I will rest a little after all..." 

Keane watched the two of them as they slowly walked away, being careful to step around the still-smoking alien carcasses. In the control room, Thanion and Korry busied themselves with the immense job of running their near-fatally wounded ship. _It's all over,_ Keane thought, smiling faintly. _I guess I'd better get back to my paperwork..._


End file.
